No Place To Go
by hearthandhomeauthor
Summary: Written for week one of The Room's Promptapalooza May 2016 writing challenge. Katheryn and Carlos must board a moving train to take down a criminal gone incognito. Yet not everything goes as planned. One-shot
**_May Writing Challenge no. 1 - Mechanical Mayhem_**

 ** _"No Place to Go"_**

"You can't be serious!" Katheryn yanked Carlos back at his coat's arm.

The detective stumbled back some, forcing himself to gain back his footing as he crouched back down behind the bushes. He sighed sharply after nearly dropping the expensive binoculars in his hands. In the distance he could hear the roaring of the train in the distance as it charged forward. By his quick, amateur estimation, it would be passing right by them in less than two minutes…if that.

"Kath, it's the only way."

"It can't be. Surely we could stop the train somehow and board it."

"Yeah, and scare half the train's passengers to death thinking it's a holdup? No. This is the only way." Carlos almost felt like he was echoing himself. He was trying his best not to show his own doubts as he heard the train even louder. He glanced up and blinked away the doubt. It was now or never. "Let's go."

Carlos was up and away, crossing the field before Katheryn had a chance to stop him. So she followed as fast as she could, a sigh pressing her panting for air as she caught up to Carlos just in time to see the train coming around the next bend out of the cluster of trees about quarter of a mile away.

They both were busy catching their breaths, most likely mentally reviewing the plan.

Carlos glanced at Katheryn one last time, pausing to press a kiss to her lips before he could convince himself otherwise. Another loud whistle of the train stole them from the moment as Carlos pulled his hand away from Kath's neck and turned to face the empty tracks.

"Ready?" He cast a quick glance to Katheryn before the train roared past them.

 _Five, four, three, two, one!_ Carlos ran forward and took hold of the floor of the first open train car and hung on tightly, his body dangling below as he struggled to get into the car while Katheryn did the same only two cars down. Katheryn was in her compartment first, leaning slightly out into the blowing winds with a prayer on her lips that Carlos had made it into his car safely. A rather long second or two passed before Carlos leaned out of the car and gave her nod. He was safe.

With a quick and curt smile, Katheryn proceeded to the next part of the plan. Taking hold of the frame of the train car, she hoisted her weight out of the train car and began climbing upward to the outside roof of the boxcar. As the winds fought against her, she cast a quick glance to Carlos to see he was doing the same at about the same pace. Grasping the roof with her fingernails, she pulled her weight upward and onto the car, taking hold of a steel handle nearby as she sat atop the roof to gain her composure. It seemed that the train had not slowed one bit. Again she looked to Carlos and waited for his nod of approval. Before it came, the entire train suddenly jolted, sending Katheryn onto her belly as she slid down and nearly off of the train car had not her hand still been wrapped securely on the handle. Her feet dangled down the other side of the boxcar as she held on, wincing with pain as she felt her wrists stretching in directions it was never made to. She was tempted to call out to Carlos but held her tongue. That would ruin the whole plan to remain as secret as possible. Besides, she couldn't help but fear the worst could have to Carlos had he not had that steel rail to hold on to.

Before she could think another stray thought, she felt Carlos' hand on hers. "Katheryn!" His raspy whisper faded into the intense winds as he squinted beneath the sunlight, balancing his own weight as he got down on his knees. With one hand he took hold of another steel bar and with the other he reached out to Katheryn. "Take my hand!"

Katheryn did so without any question asked. It took a moment of trial and error. But Katheryn could not put into words the relief she felt as Carlos finally pulled her up and next to him. She was safe.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea!" Katheryn gripped the edge of the train with one hand and that same steel bar with the other. She was sure the train may have even sped up after that unwarranted jolt had nearly sent her to her death.

"Nonsense! We just have to get to the front car and stop the engineer!"

Katheryn breathed hard although Carlos could not have seen it due to the hurricane-like winds that currently whipped around them at very unsafe speeds as miles of countryside seemed to pass by them.

"You ready?"

"No!"

"What are we going to do then? Jump?"

Carlos was right. Even if they abandoned their plan to apprehend the criminal that was stowed away somewhere on the train, they still couldn't get off the top of a moving train at this point. "Don't suppose you have any other ideas then?"

"My cell phone is in my coat pocket."

"Don't move." Katheryn kept one hand on the train's roof and reached out to see if she could get the phone without Carlos moving.

As she searched, she felt his arm secured around her. At this point she wasn't sure if the notion was romantic or apologetic. Either way, she was glad for the extra support as they both felt themselves teetering atop the massive structure in danger of falling at any point if they were to let go of the train or each other.

"It's not here!" She finally gave up the futile search and eased away from Carlos.

"It must have fallen when the train jolted."

"Must have!" Katheryn rolled her eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't change the fact that we're stuck on top of moving train that's going ninety miles an hour."

Carlos clasped his lips shut and turned his head to face the front of the moving train. He shook his head. "Okay, it was a lame idea. But are you seriously going to argue right now?"

"No! I don't like to argue."

"Then why are you arguing?"

"I'm not!"

"Then what do you call this? A heated conversation?!"

Katheryn looked to him with pleading eyes and a sigh. She couldn't very well be mad at him for saving her life. "Fine. I forgive you." She reached up and pecked a quick kiss on his lips, drawing a smile from him before she settled back down a bit too hard.

Katheryn felt her weight slip out from under her just before she called out as her body slipped down the side of the train.

Carlos caught her by the hand. "Hang on! I've got you!"

"Don't let go!" Katheryn pleaded through her tears as she watched Carlos struggle to pull her back up and not fall himself. As hard as it was to watch Carlos' face, she knew well enough that looking down would be her own demise.

For the second time, Carlos was able to bring her back up to the roof of the train. Katheryn did shed a few tears this time, feeling her heart beating incessantly against her chest. She could almost hear Carlos' heart beating too despite their loud surroundings as they both held tight grips to the steel bars next to them.

Katheryn instantly sat upright in her bed, the darkness permeating her very soul as she absentmindedly reached up to wipe the beads of sweat off of her face. It took her minute to realize the phone was ringing furiously beside her bed. She turned. Seven o'clock. She had missed her alarm clock. With a scoff and a glance at the sunlight peeking through her curtains, Katheryn threw the covers off of herself and took up the phone, pressed the button, and uttered a hello as she began making her bed.

"Good morning."

Katheryn beamed a smile at the recognition of Carlos voice. "Good morning yourself."

"Hey, I just called to let you know that I got those tickets for the dinner train I told you about last night at C.D.'s. I figured we could make it a date for this weekend when I have a bit of time off. Doesn't that sound good?"

Katheryn turned and walked a straight line to her window, easing back the curtains to see the Dallas skyline waking up in the distance. With wide eyes and a pale face, she took a deep breath. "The date, yes. The train, no."


End file.
